HARARE
–
The
Bulawayo
High
Court
has
ordered
dozens
of
Zanu
PF
youths
who
invaded
Vubachikwe
Mine
in
Matabeleland
South
to
immediately
vacate
the
property,
granting
an
urgent
spoliation
order
in
favour
of
the
mine’s
owners.
In
a
ruling
handed
down
on
February
2,
Justice
Bongani
Ndlovu
directed
six
individuals
–
including
Zanu
PF
Matabeleland
South
youth
chairperson
Moses
Langa
–
and
all
those
claiming
occupation
through
them
to
cease
illegal
mining
activities
and
leave
the
gold
mine
in
Gwanda.
“The
application
for
spoliation
is
hereby
granted,”
Ndlovu
ruled.
The
court
ordered
Langa,
Aldonia
Gondo,
Madodana
Sibanda,
Taison
Mutengeni,
Takeson
Moyo
and
Alot
Ndlovu
to
restore
possession
of
mining
claim
ML16,
which
incorporates
Vubachikwe
Mine
and
is
owned
by
Forbes
&
Thompson
(Bulawayo).
Failure
to
comply
will
trigger
enforcement
by
state
authorities.
The
ruling
authorises
the
Sheriff,
with
the
assistance
of
the
Zimbabwe
Republic
Police,
“to
recover
vacant
possession
through
ejecting
the
respondents
and
all
those
claiming
occupation
through
them.”
The
order
follows
an
urgent
application
filed
by
Forbes
&
Thompson,
which
said
its
uninterrupted
possession
of
ML16
since
1983
was
violently
disturbed
on
January
17,
2026,
when
a
group
allegedly
led
by
Langa
forced
its
way
onto
the
mine.
In
a
founding
affidavit,
company
director
Musa
Amidu
said
the
respondents
arrived
with
front-end
loaders,
tippers
and
compressors
and
immediately
began
“large-scale
excavation,
removal
and
processing
of
gold-bearing
ore”
at
multiple
sites,
including
Sweet
Waters,
Magano
Shaft,
Churu
Farm,
the
Central
Shaft
turn-off
and
areas
near
low-density
housing.
Amidu
warned
that
the
invasion
was
escalating
and
posed
an
existential
threat
to
the
mine,
citing
irreversible
loss
of
gold
ore
and
serious
structural
damage.
He
accused
the
group
of
intimidating
mine
security
personnel,
resisting
police
intervention
and
holding
public
gatherings
at
the
site
where
they
allegedly
declared
that
the
mine
was
now
under
their
control.
The
affidavit
further
alleged
that
the
respondents
attempted
to
entrench
their
occupation
by
compiling
registers
for
illegal
panners,
planning
to
fence
off
parts
of
ML16
and
engaging
in
political
lobbying
to
legitimise
their
presence.
In
a
certificate
of
urgency,
the
company’s
lawyer,
Dave
Simbi,
said
any
delay
in
granting
relief
would
render
future
remedies
“hollow,”
as
gold
ore
was
being
continuously
removed
and
infrastructure
destroyed.
According
to
the
court
papers,
large
groups
of
youths
had
established
makeshift
structures
on
the
mine
and
were
hauling
away
truckloads
of
gold-bearing
ore,
raising
serious
safety
concerns
and
heightening
tensions
with
mine
workers.